The Blind Teamaker
by Kenson-kun
Summary: Sometimes, to uncover your greatest potential, all you ever need is a friend. A story of true  friendship and hardships. The Ninja world is changed forever. Eventual Naru/Hina, one sided Sasu/Naru.
1. Prelude

Prelude

_Sometimes, to uncover your greatest potential, all you ever need is a friend. A story of true friendship and hardships. Eventual Naru/Hina, one sided Sasu/Naru._

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

It was another day in Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves. The sun was blooming, a common occurrence at that hour, and the merchants were happily making their livings in harmonic cacophony. The day was having the characteristics of a simple, trivial, yet perfect day. Then again, if looked closely, the surface happiness would always reveal a darker, gloomy story.

In the Southeastern section of the village, the 18th civilian district to be exact, laid a three floor tall complex, seemingly needing a renovation. The Konoha Main Orphanage, decreed in the aftermath of the Kyuubi's attack for war orphans, was in turmoil.

An audience of grubby faced children and a stout old woman surrounded a butt-fallen, shaking form.

Four year old Naruto was afraid. He had always been an eager boy, trying to please his peers and caretaker regardless of their undeniable yet inexplicable resentment towards his self; he had always tried to imitate the "good" behavior of the older kids, always tried to do favors, instinctively seeking some attention, the barest hint of a compliment... But now, in the center of these angry faces, he knew...He knew everything he had done was in vain, and it hurt.

Gathering a front, tears freely falling from his cheeks, the boy screamed: " I-I don't do it. I SWER!"

Children, intuitive little devils they are, know when to take an opportunity when presented.

Hence,

"LIAR!" - easily retaliated the mob.

Feebly standing from the stone cold floor, red faced and with crunched knuckles, Naruto screamed towards the nearest face: " I DON'T Do IT! I SWER! I SWER!"

"LIAR! LIAR!" - the unmoving crowd chanted.

Unknown to Naruto, a pale faced girl outside the first boundary of encirclement was shaking in righteous indignation. _Naruto didn't do anything. _

"Na'uto didn't do anything!" -she squeakily screeched, a sound lost amongst the greater cacophony.

"Oh, shut up!" - One of the older kids said. In a manner not so unlike vultures, a group of children, once sitting around in high-makeshift places enjoying the main entertainment, jumped down and surrounded the bothersome party-pooper.

"You want to get Reiko in trouble, eh?"

"You wanna help the clown?"

"You wanna d'troy our fun?"

The kids accentuated the question with a not gentle shove.

"B-but, he didn't do an-ny-thin..." -The girl said in a much smaller voice.

" Oh Plu-ezzzz, just shut the hell up." - The ringleader commanded, viciously yanking down the girl's midnight black locks and adding a last powerful shove for good measure.

With a crying bundle left behind, the second mob dispersed to their viewing seats.

Back in the main circle, the verdict was set. The caretaker graced Naruto with a stony and unreadable gaze.

Piercingly, she proclaimed : "This establishment does not allow liars, nor troublemakers, and most importantly, no thieves! You will leave this place immediately!"

Naruto was crushed. As if his limbs had been suddenly cut, he fell to his knees.

"Pl-plez, I dun w-wanna leave. I like home! I...I hav no place t'go. Plez, gimme another twy!"

It was a pathetic sight, enough to melt ice in even the sternest man's heart. Not in this case, no, not in the case where the manifestation of a scapegoat's phantom covered reality.

Utterly desperate, Naruto threw himself to the woman's leg, clinging to her ankle as if it was the rope preventing him from falling into an abyss.

"Plezz, dun make me leave," he wailed through a cracked flow.

Wordlessly, painfully, the resolved caretaker dragged the crying child by his left ear. It was a solemn procession to the orphanage's 4th room in the second floor and back, at least for one person -the effect was ruined by the bickering and delighted chatter of the following children.

As the girl with the yanked hair watched, she didn't know which hurt worse: the pain of her own burning scalp or the waves of pain coming from the poor kid. And the bitter taste of failure, knowing your best effort didn't even make a scratch at the help meter.

No more than ten minutes later, the front door was brusquely closed, leaving a lone broken figure with a bundle of clothes in his hands. Naruto tried to one-handedly stop his stream of tears, to no avail.

_Why is it...why... _Even Naruto's thoughts could not comprehend his situation. And so, by a mechanical force, Naruto's legs furiously sprinted to his one and only source of asylum – the kind old man.

From the window of the orphanage, the plump caretaker grinned victoriously. At last, the good for nothing demon was gone.

And although Naruto didn't know this, today marked a special day -an unspoken rule in his psyche. After today, young Naruto would never beg again.

A/N: I wrote this actually before my harry potter fic, so I guess it is actually my first fic xD. Please leave comments and constructive criticism. I'm trying to become better at writing :)

This chapter is short because I felt the rest I have written was destroying the flow of the prelude. Worry not, the 2nd chapter will be larger.


	2. Chapter 1

Anbu codename _Rat _informed the village leader of his young ward's predicament as promptly as a shunshin allows. Yet, the hokage could barely mask his ire under a comforting gaze when the kid, the young sacrifice, no, both a hero and a hero's legacy, came tumbling to his office with a defiant glare betrayed by reddened eyes and a preposterous request.

It was infuriating, that with his entire prowess, he was limited by the constricting frivolities of politics. There was not much he could control behind closed doors. He would grant the boy's request. Silently he beckoned a command to the stationed _Owl_ and _Rat_. The 18th civilian district Konoha Orphanage would find itself one less plump caretaker by morrow. After a month spent hospitalized from a sudden and dire illness, the caretaker and her family decided to relocate to a smaller province in the land of Fire. At least, that was the story the community knew as truth.

* * *

Six year old Naruto found himself annoyed. The old man had told him that at 7 he would join the academy to become a ninja, but why did he have to study? Ninja were supposed to be kick-ass and train and learn cool jutsu, as opposed to learn to scribble on papers! And there was even a way to write the scribbles? Stupid! What was it again for this symbol? Top left to right, half square top to bottom, line falling, and bottom left to right? Or was it half square, top, bottom right to left, line falling. Or top right to left...?

"ARGH, this sucks!" The poor book Naruto was studying met its doom when it flew from the kid's hand to kitchen's sink, where a week-worth of unwashed goods were curiously molding.

Naruto murderously eyed the rest of the pile of books the old had left him; instructional books on how to learn to read and write, and a basic conditioning book for the academy's curriculum. The latter, Naruto picked longingly. If only he knew how to read, he would be able to check if he was following the book's diagrams correctly. He highly doubted one of the "don't bump nose on the ground" exercises (as he came to call it) was enough, and 30 left his arms aching for days.

"Bleh, time to play!"

One of the best things of living alone was the totality of freedom, one could play whenever, shower whenever, eat whenever. The constant nagging of parents was just insufferable, or at least, so thought Naruto...

Double checking he had his key, the boy quickly escaped the confined atmosphere of dreaded learning.

Walking idly around the streets towards his favorite playground, both arms behind his head, Naruto smiled boisterously at any villager in his path. Most ignored him, the rest sneered, and a particular lady even snapped irritatingly. _Psh, mean lady_. _I'm so going to prank you later, _Naruto snickered.

Halfway to the park, Naruto's stomach grumbled.

"Man! I guess I'm hungry!" He proclaimed loudly to everyone in the parameter. It didn't matter if anyone answered or not. Noise was his best companion. After a quick scan of the available shops, he ran towards the dumpling stand.

"Hey! Hey , gimme 3 dumpling sticks- I'm starved!" The vendor's eyes cautiously roamed his surroundings before once again focusing on the child who barely reached the counter of the stand, then tightly responded: "It will be 20 ryo, kid. You got enough?" _Ryo_, the official currency established by the daimyos of the continent, one of the greatest political accomplishments ever made. A dumpling stick's average price was 3 ryo.

Unable to pick up on human subtleties, Naruto shuffled the pockets of his shorts avidly. The right contained the bounty. Anxiously he opened his swirly engraved pouch of money and counted the necessary bills. "Here you go!" He presented proudly. The shop-keeper handed the 3 sticks and grumbles, "Thank you for your purchase."

Naruto walked away happily. "These are good! What a nice guy," he vociferously concluded between mouthfuls.

Even with his utilitarian outlook of the village's inhabitants, the hokage provided Naruto with a hefty monthly allowance from the Sarutobi's own coffins. However, had Naruto not have an unhealthy obsession with ramen, he would have found himself long buried in bankruptcy.


End file.
